Wedge shaped cells in a wireless communication system

ABSTRACT

Aspects described herein relate to a network for providing air-to-ground wireless communication in various cells. The network includes a first base station array, each base station of which includes a respective first antenna array defining a directional radiation pattern that is oriented in a first direction, wherein each base station of the first base station array is disposed spaced apart from another base station of the first base station array along the first direction by a first distance. The network also includes a similar second base station array where the second base station array extends substantially parallel to the first base station array and is spaced apart from the first base station array by a second distance to form continuous and at least partially overlapping cell coverage areas between respective base stations of the first and second base station arrays.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/345,527 filed Nov. 8, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/017,794 filed Feb. 8, 2016, (now patented asU.S. Pat. No. 9,503,912 which issued on Nov. 22, 2016), which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/681,429 filed Apr. 8, 2015,(now patented as U.S. Pat. No. 9,294,933 which issued on Mar. 22, 2016),which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/832,385 filedMar. 15, 2013 (now patented as U.S. Pat. No. 9,008,669 which issued onApr. 14, 2015), the entire contents of which are hereby incorporatedherein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Example embodiments generally relate to wireless communications and,more particularly, relate to employing wedge shaped cells to providecontinuous wireless communication at various distances and altitudes.

BACKGROUND

High speed data communications and the devices that enable suchcommunications have become ubiquitous in modern society. These devicesmake many users capable of maintaining nearly continuous connectivity tothe Internet and other communication networks. Although these high speeddata connections are available through telephone lines, cable modems orother such devices that have a physical wired connection, wirelessconnections have revolutionized our ability to stay connected withoutsacrificing mobility.

However, in spite of the familiarity that people have with remainingcontinuously connected to networks while on the ground, people generallyunderstand that easy and/or cheap connectivity will tend to stop once anaircraft is boarded. Aviation platforms have still not become easily andcheaply connected to communication networks, at least for the passengersonboard. Attempts to stay connected in the air are typically costly andhave bandwidth limitations or high latency problems. Moreover,passengers willing to deal with the expense and issues presented byaircraft communication capabilities are often limited to very specificcommunication modes that are supported by the rigid communicationarchitecture provided on the aircraft.

Conventional ground based wireless communications systems use verticalantennas to provide coverage for device connectivity. Antennas used interrestrial systems typically provide coverage in the azimuthal, orhorizontal, plane with a width of 65 to 90 degrees. The elevation, orvertical, pattern is typically more narrow in order to maximize theantenna performance in the horizontal plane, which can result in alarger coverage area, increased signal strength or clarity in thecoverage area, etc. With focus on the horizontal plane, however, theseexisting antennas may be unable to support connectivity for aircrafttraveling above an elevation of the coverage area.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME EXAMPLES

The continuous advancement of wireless technologies offers newopportunities to provide wireless coverage for aircraft at varyingelevations using multiple antennas installed at certain sites. Aplurality of antennas at a base station can each transmit signals havinga radiation pattern defined between two elevation angles resulting in anincreasing vertical beam width and smaller azimuth to form a wedgeshaped sector. These wedge shaped sectors may then be overlapped witheach other to progressively build in altitude for providingcommunications with continuous coverage at high altitudes. In oneexample, the plurality of antennas are configured at the base stationsuch that corresponding wedge shaped sectors are adjacent in ahorizontal plane to form a substantially semicircular coverage area inthe horizontal plane that achieves at least a predetermined altitudewithin a predetermined distance from the base station. In addition,multiple deployed base stations can be substantially aligned in a firstdirection while substantially offset in a second direction. Moreover, adistance between the deployed base stations in the first direction canbe less than the distance between the base stations in the seconddirection to facilitate providing continuous coverage up to thepredetermined altitude based on the wedge shaped sectors.

In the first direction, the base stations can be aligned and deployed ata distance such that the wedge shaped sectors of a first base stationare overlapped by the wedge shaped sectors of a second base stationbehind the first base station along the first direction. This allows thesectors of the second base station to cover altitudes up to thepredetermined altitude at the location of the first base station andextending therebeyond in the first direction for a predetermineddistance from the first base station until the sectors of the first basestation reach the predetermined altitude. In the second direction, thebase stations can be offset and deployed at a distance such to allowcontinuous coverage based on a horizontal plane coverage area of thesectors, as the coverage area is compensated for altitude deficienciesin the first direction, and thus may not need to be compensated byadjacent coverage areas in the second direction.

In one example embodiment, a network for providing air-to-ground (ATG)wireless communication in various cells is provided. The networkincludes a first base station array, each base station of which includesa respective first antenna array defining a directional radiationpattern that is oriented in a first direction, wherein each base stationof the first base station array is disposed spaced apart from anotherbase station of the first base station array along the first directionby a first distance. The network also includes a second base stationarray, each base station of which includes a respective second antennaarray defining a directional radiation pattern that is oriented in thefirst direction, wherein each base station of the second base stationarray is disposed spaced apart from another base station of the secondbase station array along the first direction by the first distance, andwherein the second base station array extends substantially parallel tothe first base station array and is spaced apart from the first basestation array by a second distance to form continuous and at leastpartially overlapping cell coverage areas between respective basestations of the first and second base station arrays. Base stations ofthe first base station array and the second base station array aredisposed to be located offset from each other along the first directionby a third distance, and wherein the first distance is less than thesecond distance.

In another example embodiment, a network for providing ATG wirelesscommunication in various cells is provided. The network includes a firstbase station having a first antenna array providing a directionalradiation pattern oriented along a first direction, the directionalradiation pattern extending over a predetermined range in azimuthcentered on the first direction, and extending between a first elevationangle and a second elevation angle over at least a predetermineddistance to define a substantially wedge shaped radiation pattern. Thenetwork also includes a second base station deployed spaced apart fromthe first base station by a first distance in the first direction, thesecond base station having a second antenna array having the samedirectional radiation pattern as the first antenna array such thatcoverage areas of the first and second antenna arrays overlap atdifferent altitude ranges moving along the first direction from thesecond base station. The network further includes a third base stationdeployed spaced apart from the second base station by the first distancealong the first direction, the third base station having a third antennaarray having the same directional radiation pattern as the first andsecond antenna arrays such that coverage areas of the first, second andthird antenna arrays overlap at different altitude ranges moving alongthe first direction from the third base station to achieve continuouscoverage to a predetermined altitude.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will nowbe made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn toscale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of an example network deployment providingair-to-ground (ATG) wireless communication coverage areas;

FIG. 2 illustrates an aspect of an example network deployment of basestations providing overlapping cell coverage areas to achieve coverageup to a predetermined altitude;

FIG. 3 illustrates an aspect of an example network deployment of basestations providing overlapping cell coverage areas and/or additionalcoverage areas;

FIG. 4 illustrates a functional block diagram of a base station of anexample embodiment; and

FIG. 5 illustrates an example methodology for deploying base stations toprovide ATG wireless communications at a predetermined altitude.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some example embodiments now will be described more fully hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not allexample embodiments are shown. Indeed, the examples described andpictured herein should not be construed as being limiting as to thescope, applicability or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather,these example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure willsatisfy applicable legal requirements. Like reference numerals may beused to refer to like elements throughout. Furthermore, as used herein,the term “or” is to be interpreted as a logical operator that results intrue whenever one or more of its operands are true.

Some example embodiments described herein provide architectures forimproved air-to-ground (ATG) wireless communication performance. In thisregard, some example embodiments may provide for base stations havingantenna structures that facilitate providing wireless communicationcoverage in vertical and horizontal planes with sufficient elevation tocommunicate with aircraft at high elevations. A base station can providea wedge shaped cell coverage area in a vertical plane that achievescoverage at a predetermined altitude within a predetermined distancefrom the base station to facilitate ATG wireless communications. Thecell coverage area can be substantially semicircular in the horizontalplane, and can be provided by multiple antennas each providing a wedgeshaped sector over a portion of the semicircular azimuth. The basestations can be deployed as substantially aligned in a first directionwhile offset in a second direction. For example, the base stations canalso be deployed in the first direction at a first distance to providecoverage overlapping in elevation to achieve coverage over thepredetermined altitude, and within a second distance in the seconddirection based on an achievable coverage area distance of the sectors.

FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of a network 100 of deployed base stationsfor providing ATG wireless communication coverage. Network 100 includesvarious base stations providing substantially semicircular cell coverageareas. The cell coverage areas are each depicted in two portions. Forexample, the cell coverage area for a first base station is shown assimilarly patterned portions 102 and 104. The portions 102 and 104represent a single continuous cell coverage area over a horizontalplane; however, FIG. 1 depicts intervening portion 108 of another cellcoverage area as providing overlapping coverage to achieve continuouscoverage up to a predetermined altitude, as described further herein.Portion 102 is shown to represent the initial cell coverage area fromthe location of the corresponding base station out to an arbitrarydistance for illustrative purposes; it is to be appreciated that thisportion 102 also includes the overlapping coverage of portion 108 ofanother cell coverage area to achieve coverage at the predeterminedaltitude. Moreover, the coverage area represented by portions 106 and108 may extend beyond boundary 130 of coverage area portion 104; thecoverage areas are limited in the depiction to illustrate at least onepoint where the bordering coverage areas are able to provide ATGwireless communication coverage at the predetermined altitude. Further,the base stations are not depicted for ease of explanation, but it is tobe appreciated that the base stations can be located such to provide thecell coverage area indicated by portions 102 and 104, portions 106 and108, portions 110 and 112, etc.

The cell coverage areas 102/104 and 106/108 can be provided byrespective base stations in a first base station array, where the basestations of one or more base station arrays are substantially aligned ina first direction 120 (as depicted by the representative cell coverageareas). As shown, cell coverage areas 102/104 and 106/108 project adirectional radiation pattern that is oriented in the first direction,and are aligned front to back along the first direction. Such alignmentcan be achieved by substantially aligning base stations in the basestation array to provide the substantially aligned cell coverage areas,antenna rotation to achieve alignment in the cell coverage areas in thefirst direction 120, and/or the like. As described, in this regard, afirst base station that provides cell coverage area 102/104 can beoverlapped by at least a cell coverage area 106/108 of a second basestation in front of the first base station in the first direction 120.For example, a base station, or antennas thereof, can provide wedgeshaped cell coverage areas defined by multiple elevation angles employedby antennas transmitting signals to achieve a predetermined altitude bya certain distance from the base station. Thus, overlapping the cellcoverage areas in the first direction 120 allows cell coverage area106/108 to achieve the predetermined altitude for at least the certaindistance between the base station providing cell coverage area 102/104and a point along line 130 where the cell coverage area 102/104 achievesthe predetermined altitude.

In addition, base stations in the first base station array providingcell coverage areas 102/104 and 106/108 can be spaced apart in a seconddirection 122 from base stations of a second base station array, whichcan provide additional cell coverage areas 110/112, 114/116, etc.,aligned in the first direction 120. The first and second base stationarrays can extend substantially parallel to each other in the firstdirection 120. In addition, base stations of the second base stationarray can be offset from base stations of the first base station arrayin the first direction 120 (as depicted by the representative cellcoverage areas). The second direction 122 can be substantiallyperpendicular to the first direction 120 in one example. In thisexample, the first and second base station arrays can be offset toprovide the offsetting of respective cell coverage areas (e.g., theoffset shown between cell coverage areas 102/104 and 110/112), and anyother coverage areas of the base station arrays aligned in the firstdirection 120.

The first and second base station arrays can be spaced apart at agreater distance in the second direction 122 than base stations withinthe respective arrays spaced apart in the first direction 120. Forexample, the base stations can be spaced in the second direction 122according to an achievable coverage distance of the base stationproviding the cell coverage areas. Because the base stations providingcell coverage areas 102/104 and 106/108 in the first base station arrayare aligned in the first direction 120 such that cell coverage area106/108 provides overlapping coverage to cell coverage area 102/104 toachieve the predetermined altitude, the base station arrays themselvescan be separated based on the achievable distance of the respective cellcoverage areas 102/104 and 110/112. In this regard, no substantialoverlapping is needed between the boundaries of cell coverage areas102/104 and 110/112 provided by base stations of adjacent base stationarrays to reach the predetermined altitude since the altitudedeficiencies near the respective base stations are covered by cellcoverage areas of base stations in the base station array aligned in thefirst direction 120.

Moreover, offsetting the base stations providing the various cellcoverage areas over the second direction 122 can allow for furtherspacing in the first direction 120 and/or second direction 122 as theend portions of one cell coverage area in the horizontal plane can abutto a middle portion of another cell coverage area from a base station inan adjacent base station array to maximize the distance allowed betweenthe cell coverage areas while maintaining continuous coverage, which canlower the number of base stations necessary to provide coverage over agiven area. In one example, the spacing in the second direction 122 canbe more than twice the spacing in the first direction 120, depending onthe coverage distance of the cell coverage areas and the distance overwhich it takes a cell coverage area to reach the predetermined altitude.

As depicted, the spacing of a first distance between base stations in agiven base station array can be indicated as distance 140 in the firstdirection 120. The spacing of a second distance between base stationarrays in the second direction 122 can be indicated as distance 142.Moreover, the offset between the base station arrays can be indicated asa third distance 144. In one specific example, the distance 140 can benear 150 kilometers (km), where distance 142 between the base stationsproviding cell coverage area 102/104 can be 400 km or more. In thisexample, the achievable cell coverage areas can be at least 200 km fromthe corresponding base station in the direction of the transmittedsignals that form the coverage areas or related sectors thereof.Moreover, in this example, the distance 144 can be around 75 km.

In an example, the base stations providing cell coverage areas 102/104,106/108, 110/112, etc. can each include respective antenna arraysdefining a directional radiation pattern oriented in the firstdirection. The respective antenna arrays can include multiple antennasproviding a sector portion of the radiation pattern resulting in acoverage area that is wedge shaped in the vertical plane. For example,the cell coverage area provided by each antenna can have first andsecond elevation angles that exhibit an increasing vertical beam widthin the vertical plane, and fills a portion of an azimuth in thehorizontal plane. Using more concentrated signals that provide smallerportions of the azimuth can allow for achieving further distance and/orincreased elevation angles without increasing transmission power. In thedepicted example, the cell coverage areas defined by the antenna arraysinclude six substantially 30 degree azimuth sectors that aresubstantially adjacent to form a directional radiation pattern extendingsubstantially 180 degrees in azimuth centered on the first direction todefine the semicircular coverage area. Each sector can be provided by anantenna at the corresponding base station, for example. Moreover, in oneexample, the base station can have a radio per antenna, a less number ofradios with one or more switches to switch between the antennas toconserve radio resources, and/or the like, as described further herein.It is to be appreciated that additional or a less number of sectors canbe provided. In addition, the sectors can have an azimuth more or lessthan 30 degrees and/or can form a larger or smaller total cell coveragearea azimuth than the depicted semicircular cell coverage area.

In yet other examples, the network 100 can implement frequency reuse oftwo such that adjacent base stations can use alternating channels inproviding the cell coverage areas. For example, a base station providingcell coverage areas 102/104 can use a first channel, and a base stationproviding cell coverage area 106/108 in the same base station array canuse a second channel. Similarly, the base station providing cellcoverage area 110/112 in a different base station array can use thesecond channel, etc. It is to be appreciated that other frequency reusepatterns and/or number of reuse factors can be utilized in this schemeto provide frequency diversity between adjacent cell coverage areas.

Furthermore, in an example deployment of network 100, the firstdirection 120 and/or second direction 122 can be, or be near, a cardinaldirection (e.g., north, south, east, or west), an intermediate direction(e.g., northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest, north-northeast,east-northeast, etc.), and/or the like on a horizontal plane. Inaddition, the network 100 can be deployed within boundaries of acountry, boundaries of an air corridor across one or more countries,and/or the like. In one example, cell coverage area 106/108 can beprovided by an initial base station at a border of a country or aircorridor. In this example, a base station providing cell coverage area106/108, 110/112, and/or additional cell coverage areas at the border,can include one or more patch antennas to provide coverage at thepredetermined altitude from the distance between the base station to thepoint where the respective cell coverage area 106/108, 110/112, etc.reaches the predetermined altitude. For example, the one or more patchantennas can be present behind the cell coverage areas 106/108, 110/112,etc., and/or on the base stations thereof (e.g., as one or more antennasangled at an uptilt and/or parallel to the horizon) to provide cellcoverage up to the predetermined altitude.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example network 200 for providing overlappingcells to facilitate ATG wireless communication coverage at least at apredetermined altitude. Network 200 includes base stations 202, 204, and206 that transmit signals for providing the ATG wireless communications.Base stations 202, 204, and 206 can each transmit signals that exhibit aradiation pattern defined by a first and second elevation angle such toachieve a predetermined altitude. In this example, base stations 202,204, and 206 provide respective wedge shaped cell coverage areas 212,214, and 216. The base stations 202, 204, and 206 can be deployed assubstantially aligned in a first direction 120 as part of the same basestation array, as described above, or to otherwise allow for aligningthe cell coverage areas 212, 214, and 216 in the first direction, suchthat cell coverage area 212 can overlap cell coverage area 214 (and/or216 at a different altitude range in the vertical plane), cell coveragearea 214 can overlap cell coverage area 216, and so on. This can allowthe cell coverage areas 212, 214, and 216 to achieve at least apredetermined altitude (e.g., 45,000 feet (ft)) for a distance definedby the various aligned base stations 202, 204, 206, etc.

As depicted, base station 202 can provide cell coverage area 212 thatoverlaps cell coverage area 214 of base station 204 to facilitateproviding cell coverage up to 45,000 ft near base station 204 for adistance until signals transmitted by base station 204 reach thepredetermined altitude of 45,000 ft (e.g., near point 130), in thisexample. In this example, base station 204 can be deployed at a positioncorresponding to the distance between which it takes cell coverage area214 of base station 204 to reach the predetermined altitude subtractedfrom the achievable distance of cell coverage area 212 of base station202. In this regard, there can be substantially any number ofoverlapping cell coverage areas of different base stations to reach thepredetermined altitude based on the elevation angles, the distance ittakes to achieve a vertical beam width at the predetermined altitudebased on the elevation angles, the distance between the base stations,etc.

In one specific example, the base stations 202, 204, and 206 can bespaced apart by a first distance 140, as described. The first distance140 can be substantially 150 km along the first direction 120, such thatbase station 204 is around 150 km from base station 202, and basestation 206 is around 300 km from base station 202. Further, in anexample, an aircraft flying between base station 206 and 204 may becovered by base station 202 depending on its altitude, and in oneexample, altitude can be used in determining whether and/or when tohandover a device on the aircraft to another base station or cellprovided by the base station.

Moreover, as described in some examples, base stations 202, 204 and 206can include an antenna array providing a directional radiation patternoriented along the first direction 120, as shown in FIG. 1, where thedirectional radiation pattern extends over a predetermined range inazimuth centered on the first direction 120, and extends between thefirst elevation angle and the second elevation angle of the respectivecoverage areas 212, 214, and 216 over at least a predetermined distanceto define the substantially wedge shaped radiation pattern. In thisregard, FIG. 2 depicts a side view of a vertical plane of the basestations 202, 204, and 206, and associated coverage areas 212, 214, and216. Thus, in one example, base station 202 can provide a cell coveragearea 212 that is similar to cell coverage area 106/108 in FIG. 1 in ahorizontal plane, and base station 204 can provide a cell coverage area214 similar to cell coverage area 102/104 in FIG. 1. Moreover, asdescribed, direction 120 can correlate to a cardinal direction,intermediate direction, and/or the like. In addition, in a deployment ofnetwork 200, additional base stations can be provided in front of basestation 206 along direction 120 until a desired coverage area isprovided (e.g., until an edge of a border or air corridor is reached).

FIG. 3 illustrates an example network 300 for providing overlappingcells to facilitate ATG wireless communication coverage at least at apredetermined altitude, as in FIG. 2. Network 300, thus, includes basestations 202, 204, and 206 that transmit signals for providing the ATGwireless communications. Base stations 202, 204, and 206 can eachtransmit signals that exhibit a radiation pattern defined by a first andsecond elevation angle such to achieve a predetermined altitude. Thisresults in providing respective wedge shaped cell coverage areas 212,214, and 216. The base stations 202, 204, and 206 can be deployed assubstantially aligned in a first direction as part of the same basestation array, as described above, or to otherwise allow for aligningthe cell coverage areas 212, 214, and 216 in the first direction, suchthat cell coverage area 212 can overlap cell coverage area 214 (and/or216), cell coverage area 214 can overlap cell coverage area 216, and soon. This can allow the cell coverage areas 212, 214, and 216 to achieveat least a predetermined altitude (e.g., 45,000 ft) for a distancedefined by the various aligned base stations 202, 204, 206, etc., asdescribed.

In addition, however, base station 202 can be deployed at an edge of adesired coverage area, and can include one or more patch antennas toprovide additional ATG wireless communication coverage. In an example,the edge of the desired coverage area can include a border of a country,an edge of an air corridor, etc. For example, the one or more patchantennas can be provided at an uptilt angle and/or with additionalelevation as compared to antenna(s) providing cell coverage area 202. Inone example, at least one patch antenna can provide additional coverageareas 302 and/or 304 up to the target altitude to fill coverage gapsnear the border or edge in the network deployment configurationdescribed herein, for example.

FIG. 4 illustrates a functional block diagram of a base station 400 inan example embodiment. In this regard, for example, the base station 400may include processing circuitry 402 that may be configurable to performcontrol functions in accordance with example embodiments. The processingcircuitry 402 may provide electronic control inputs to one or morefunctional units of an aircraft for providing ATG wirelesscommunications thereto. The processing circuitry 402 may be configuredto perform data processing, control function execution and/or otherprocessing and management services according to an example embodiment.

In some examples, the processing circuitry 402 may be embodied as a chipor chip set. In other words, the processing circuitry 402 may compriseone or more physical packages (e.g., chips) including materials,components and/or wires on a structural assembly (e.g., a baseboard).The structural assembly may provide physical strength, conservation ofsize, and/or limitation of electrical interaction for componentcircuitry included thereon. The processing circuitry 402 may therefore,in some cases, be configured to implement an embodiment of the disclosedsubject matter on a single chip or as a single “system on a chip.” Assuch, in some cases, a chip or chipset may constitute means forperforming one or more operations for providing the functionalitiesdescribed herein.

In an example embodiment, the processing circuitry 402 may include oneor more instances of a processor 404 and memory 406 that may be incommunication with or otherwise control a transceiver 408. Theprocessing circuitry 402 may be embodied as a circuit chip (e.g., anintegrated circuit chip) configured (e.g., with hardware, software or acombination of hardware and software) to perform operations describedherein. However, in some embodiments, the processing circuitry 402 maybe embodied as a portion of an on-board computer. The transceiver 408may include one or more mechanisms for enabling communication withvarious devices. In some cases, the transceiver 408 can include deviceor circuitry embodied in either hardware, or a combination of hardwareand software that is configured to receive and/or transmit data from/toaircraft or other devices in communication with the processing circuitry402. Thus, for example, the transceiver 408 may allow for communicationvia different antennas, such as antenna 1 410, antenna 2 412, antenna N414, where N is a positive integer, etc.

In an example embodiment, the processing circuitry 402 may be configuredto control configuration or operation of one or more instances of thetransceiver 408 to facilitate operation of one or more antennas, such asantenna 1 410, antenna 2 412, antenna N 414, etc. In one example, asdepicted, the antennas 410, 412, 414, etc. can be operated by a singleradio 416, and the radio 416 can include a switch 418 to alternatebetween transmitting signals over the various antennas 410, 412, 414,etc. In another example, though not depicted, the antennas 410, 412,414, etc. can use independent radios, and/or can transmit signalsconcurrently. In any case, processing circuitry 402 can use transceiver408 to provide cell coverage via communications using the antennas 410,412, 414, etc. to provide wedge shaped cells, as described. In addition,the wedge shaped cells provided by the antennas can be substantiallyadjacent in a direction to provide multiple aligned sectors that formsemicircular coverage areas, as described. In some examples, transceiver408 can employ additional patch antennas (not shown) to provideadditional coverage areas to provide border coverage at thepredetermined altitude.

Moreover, it is to be appreciated that the radio(s) 416 can communicateusing substantially any air interface in a licensed spectrum (e.g.,third generation partnership project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE),Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), and/or the like),unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 2.4 gigahertz (GHz), 5.8 GHz, and/or thelike), etc.

The processor 404 may be embodied in a number of different ways. Forexample, the processor 404 may be embodied as various processors, suchas one or more of a microprocessor or other processing element, acoprocessor, a controller or various other computing or processingdevices including integrated circuits such as, for example, anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA), or the like. In an example embodiment, the processor402 may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 406or otherwise accessible to the processor 404. As such, whetherconfigured by hardware or by a combination of hardware and software, theprocessor 404 may represent an entity (e.g., physically embodied incircuitry—in the form of processing circuitry 402) capable of performingoperations according to embodiments of the present invention whileconfigured accordingly. Thus, for example, when the processor 404 isembodied as an ASIC, FPGA or the like, the processor 404 may bespecifically configured hardware for conducting the operations describedherein. Alternatively, as another example, when the processor 404 isembodied as an executor of software instructions, the instructions mayspecifically configure the processor 404 to perform the operationsdescribed herein.

In an example embodiment, the processor 404 (or the processing circuitry402) may be embodied as, include or otherwise control the operation ofthe base station 400, as described herein. As such, in some embodiments,the processor 404 (or the processing circuitry 402) may be said to causeeach of the operations described in connection with the base station 400in relation to operation of the base station 400 by directing componentsof the transceiver 408 to undertake the corresponding functionalitiesresponsive to execution of instructions or algorithms configuring theprocessor 404 (or processing circuitry 402) accordingly.

In an exemplary embodiment, the memory 406 may include one or morenon-transitory memory devices such as, for example, volatile and/ornon-volatile memory that may be either fixed or removable. The memory406 may be configured to store information, data, applications,instructions or the like for enabling the processing circuitry 402 tocarry out various functions in accordance with exemplary embodimentsdescribed herein. For example, the memory 406 could be configured tobuffer input data for processing by the processor 404. Additionally oralternatively, the memory 406 could be configured to store instructionsfor execution by the processor 404. As yet another alternative, thememory 406 may include one or more databases that may store a variety ofdata sets related to functions described herein. Among the contents ofthe memory 406, applications may be stored for execution by theprocessor 404 in order to carry out the functionality associated witheach respective application. In some cases, the applications may includeinstructions for recognition of various input signals related tocomponent status or operational parameters and, if necessary, applyingtiming control, encryption, channel control and/or the like associatedwith handling the reception of such signals. The applications mayfurther include instructions for operational control of the base station400, as described above.

Referring to FIG. 5, a methodology that can be utilized in accordancewith various aspects described herein is illustrated. While, forpurposes of simplicity of explanation, the methodology is shown anddescribed as a series of acts, it is to be understood and appreciatedthat the methodology is not limited by the order of acts, as some actscan, in accordance with one or more aspects, occur in different ordersand/or concurrently with other acts from that shown and describedherein. For example, those skilled in the art will understand andappreciate that a methodology could alternatively be represented as aseries of interrelated states or events, such as in a state diagram.Moreover, not all illustrated acts may be required to implement amethodology in accordance with one or more aspects.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example methodology 500 for providing deploying aplurality of base stations to provide ATG wireless communicationcoverage areas. At 502, a first base station is deployed providing awedge shaped coverage area in a vertical plane over a semicircularshaped coverage area in a horizontal plane. As described, an increasingvertical beam width over a distance, as effectuated by multipleelevation angles of signal transmissions by the base station, can resultin the wedge shape of the coverage area. In addition, the semicircularshape in the horizontal plane can be effectuated by an azimuth oftransmission by one or more antennas. As described, in an example,transmissions from a plurality of antennas can form substantiallyadjacent sectors that together form the semicircular shaped cellcoverage area.

At 504, a second base station can be deployed aligned with the firstbase station in a first direction to facilitate providing overlappingcoverage with the first base station in the first direction to achieve apredetermined altitude. In this regard, as described, a second cellcoverage area of the second base station can be similarly shaped in thevertical and horizontal planes as the cell coverage area of the firstbase station, such that the second cell coverage area can fill coveragegaps in the cell coverage area near the first base station up to apredetermined altitude in a semicircular coverage area shape in thehorizontal plane. In this example, the second base station can bedeployed at a distance that allows the second base station to cover thecell coverage area of the first base station at least at thepredetermined altitude and at least to a point where the cell coveragearea of the first base station reaches the predetermined altitude.Moreover, as described, the first and second base stations can bedeployed in the same base station array.

At 506, a third base station can be deployed in a second direction fromthe first base station, and offset in the first direction, to facilitateproviding continuous coverage at the predetermined altitude in thesecond direction. The second direction can be substantiallyperpendicular to the first direction such that the third base station isdeployed based on an achievable cell coverage area distance by the firstbase station and the third base station. As described, since the cellcoverage area of the first base station is compensated for altitudedeficiency in the first direction (e.g., by the overlapping cells of thesecond base station aligned in the first direction), no suchcompensation is needed in the second direction, and thus the basestations in the second direction can be further spaced apart based onthe achievable coverage area distance of each base station. Moreover, asdescribed, the third base station can be deployed in a base stationarray adjacent to the base station array to which the first and secondbase stations are associated.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forthherein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which theseinventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in theforegoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is tobe understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specificembodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments areintended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and the associateddrawings describe exemplary embodiments in the context of certainexemplary combinations of elements and/or functions, it should beappreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions maybe provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scopeof the appended claims. In this regard, for example, differentcombinations of elements and/or functions than those explicitlydescribed above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of theappended claims. In cases where advantages, benefits or solutions toproblems are described herein, it should be appreciated that suchadvantages, benefits and/or solutions may be applicable to some exampleembodiments, but not necessarily all example embodiments. Thus, anyadvantages, benefits or solutions described herein should not be thoughtof as being critical, required or essential to all embodiments or tothat which is claimed herein. Although specific terms are employedherein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and notfor purposes of limitation.

1.-20. (canceled)
 21. A network for providing air-to-ground (ATG) wireless communication in various cells, comprising: a first base station including a first antenna array defining a first directional radiation pattern that is oriented toward a horizon; and a second base station including second antenna array defining a second directional radiation pattern that at least partially overlaps with the first base station and is oriented toward the horizon, wherein the first and second base stations are each configured to wirelessly communicate with a radio disposed on an aircraft flying through a first cell coverage areas of the first base station and a second cell coverage area of the second base station, and wherein the first and second cell coverage areas are configured to define, for each of a plurality of geographic locations, altitude bands for which a different one of the first base station or the second base station provides connectivity to the radio.
 22. The network of claim 21, wherein at least one of the first directional radiation pattern or the second direction radiation pattern defines a substantially wedge shaped radiation pattern.
 23. The network of claim 22, wherein the first and second directional radiation patterns overlap each other to provide continuous coverage up to a predetermined altitude.
 24. The network of claim 23, wherein coverage up to the predetermined altitude immediately above the first base station is provided by the second base station.
 25. The network of claim 24, wherein the predetermined altitude is about 45,000 feet.
 26. The network of claim 21, wherein the first and second cell coverage areas are configured to conduct a handover between the first base station and the second base station responsive to a change in altitude of the aircraft between the altitude bands.
 27. The network of claim 21, wherein the altitude bands change based on distance from a respective one of the first and second base stations.
 28. The network of claim 21, wherein the first directional radiation pattern and the second direction radiation pattern each increase in vertical beamwidth as distance from the first and second base station, respectively, increases.
 29. The network of claim 28, wherein each of the first directional radiation pattern and the second direction radiation pattern form semicircular radiation patterns.
 30. The network of claim 21, wherein the first antenna array and the second antenna array each include six sectors of about thirty degrees.
 31. The network of claim 30, wherein adjacent sectors of the first antenna array employ alternating channels and adjacent sectors of the second antenna array employ alternating channels.
 32. The network of claim 31, wherein the alternating channels of the first antenna array are the same channels as the alternating channels of the second antenna array to enable frequency reuse between the first and second base stations.
 33. The network of claim 21, wherein the first and second directional radiation patterns overlap each other and one or more additional radiation patterns associated with a corresponding one or more base stations to provide continuous coverage up to a predetermined altitude.
 34. The network of claim 33, wherein a number of the altitude bands above a given location is equal to the number of overlapping coverage areas defined at the given location.
 35. The network of claim 24, wherein the first and second base stations are aligned with each other along a cardinal direction.
 36. A radio on an aircraft operating in an air-to-ground (ATG) wireless communication network, the radio comprising control circuitry configured to communicate wirelessly with: a first base station including a first antenna array defining a first directional radiation pattern that is oriented toward a horizon; and a second base station including second antenna array defining a second directional radiation pattern that at least partially overlaps with the first base station and is oriented toward the horizon, wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine an altitude of the aircraft and request a handover between the first and second base stations based on the determined altitude. 